Known lithographing machines utilize an ink fountain arrangement wherein the ink fountain roller is disposed within an ink fountain and continously rotates during operation of the machine. However, in these known machines, a shutdown of the machine also results in stoppage of the ink fountain roller, whereupon the ink on the fountain roller dries so that washing and cleaning of the fountain and of the roller is often necessary prior to further activation of the machine. This problem of machine shutdown occurs due to numerous reasons, such as due to the machine being stopped over night, stoppage of the machine during make ready periods, stoppage of the press for lunch hours and the like. Due to the numerous reasons why machines are stopped, the drying of ink on the ink fountain roller is thus a formidable problem and requires substantial time and maintenance in readying the roller for further machine operation.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to overcome the above-mentioned disadvantages by providing an auxiliary drive system for attachment to the ink fountain roller of a lithographic machine, which auxiliary drive system permits the continuous rotation of the ink roller within the fountain throughout the shutdown periods of the machine so as to prevent the ink from drying on the ink fountain roller and thereby eliminating the necessity of having to clean the roller each time the machine is started up, thus saving substantial time in making the machine ready for operation.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide an auxiliary drive system, as aforesaid, which can be readily adapted to existing lithographic machines without requiring any major rebuilding or shutdown of the machine.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an auxiliary drive system, as aforesaid, which utilizes an auxiliary drive motor mounted on the machine and interconnected to the ink fountain roller by a one-way clutch and adapter which permits slow but continuous rotation of the ink roller during periods of machine shutdown, but which permits free rotation of the ink roller during periods of machine operation.
Still a further object of the present invention is to provide an auxiliary drive system, as aforesaid, which is economical to manufacture and install on the machine, which is extremely simple in operation, which is both reliable and durable, and which does not interfere with the normal machine structure.
Other objects and purposes of the present invention will be apparent to persons acquainted with machines of this general type upon reading the following specification and inspecting the accompanying drawings.